"For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity but of power, love, and self-discipline."
2 Timothy 1:7 ESV
I often get asked about succession planning, but it is usually when a leader is already weary. However, what happens when you cannot plan your timing?
In 2016, I was in an accident that shattered my wrist. The doctors stopped counting the breaks at ten. It happened on the way to pick up my daughters from school on a very normal day. Suddenly, I was out of commission for six straight weeks. During that time, I had two surgeries and two nerve blocks. There was no advance planning for this disruption!
Before that accident, I trained the team I worked with to always document and leave your office in a state that someone could pick up if you were suddenly not able to come in. This accident showed exactly why I was so passionate about cross-training and documenting. Thankfully, our team picked up and cared for everything at the ministry so I could use all of my energy to heal and get better. However, that was not always the case. This week, I challenge you to make some simple documentation for the ministry. Though this exercise may appear simple, it may be priceless down the road. Each of you has a set of tasks that you do regularly, and they need to be written down. Take time and make a bulleted list of the following:
Annual reports/tasks
Quarterly reports/tasks
Monthly reports/tasks
Weekly reports/tasks
Leave all of the documentation in a central place so that everyone knows where it can be found. This exercise will help you be mindful of your systems and provide a plan in case of unexpected circumstances come up.
If you need to talk through systems or succession planning, please reach out for one free consultation. I would love to talk through how I may be able to assist you.
Praying for you all,
Ashley
Comments